Stove



June 19, 1923.

r-:. R. STEPHENS STOVE Filed March25 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l //v VENTOR,

9 M MI U.

ATTORNEY.

. June 19, 1923. 1 ,459,559

E. R. STEPHENS STOVE Filed March 25. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g l inning-mu gy WITNESS Patented June 19, 1923.

UNITED stares I 1,459,559 rAraN-r caries.

EARL R. STEPHENS, or DOVER, NEW JERSEY.

STOVE.

Application filed March 25, 1922. Serial No. 546,625.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EARL R. STEPHENS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Dover, in the county of Morris and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful lmpro-vements 1n Stoves, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cook-stoves and other heating apparatuses embodying a E rate structure for supporting the fuel.

any such apparatuses have an auxiliary grate or grid arranged below the main grate-on' which the burning fuel rests WVl'llCh is intended for use in sifting the ma terial' that is deposited-thereon from the main grate; this is usually accomplished by agitating this grate or grid, as by sliding it back and forth. These contrivancesare not eflicient means for sifting the ashes from the cinders or coals, and the user therefore frequently discards them. The principal object'of this invention is to provide in con n'ectionwith such a grate or grid a raking agitator or rake which will make it possible to" effect thorough separation of the ashes from the cinders and good coal without its movements'being encumbered by the material operated upon or acting to crush and so reduce the larger pieces of coal or cinders and which may be applied to existing forms of grates or grids Without material alteraa 'tion in the structure thereof.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a front to rear vertical sectional view of a stove embodying -my improve ments; 1

Fi 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the auxiliary or sifting grate of said stove and of my improvements;

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional View of the'grate and rake, the section being substantially central of the series of teeth of the rake;

Fig. 4 is-a'fragmentary'view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a modification;

. Fig. 5 is a plan of the rake;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view onthe line 66 of Fig. 5, looking toward the right; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar toFigs. 3 and f and showing another modification.

The frame or shell of the stove is indicated at a, I) being the fuel supporting grate below I which isthe chamber 0 and below this chamher the sub-chamber d forming the ash-pit.

e and f are doors which when opened allow "access to'the chambers c and d, respectively.

-ing that the strips are The frame or shell a includes a horizontal 1 wall or diaphragm 'g which has'a square opening it affording communication between the chambers c and This opening receives the rectangular cast-iron sifting pan or auxiliary grate z in the usualway,

the pan having atop exterior flange 71' which rests in a rabbet g formed in the wall 9 around itsopening h, the pan or grate thus supported being movabletoward and from the front of the stove a limited distance. The bottom or grate portion of the pan or grate is formed b'y'spaced gratebars j extending longitudinally of its path of movement. The loan has the usual forwardly extending rigid handle is which I projects through a suitable openingin the shell of the stove and forms'a lateral extension of an upstanding portion Z of the pan or grate.

Oppositely facing guideways are provided at the bottom of the pan or grate and at both sides thereof. These .are formed by inwardlyprojecting flanges m of strips 01 which are securedby bolts 0 to the outer side faces of the pan or grate; in Fig. 4 the construction is substantially the same exceptpan or grate. 3

Un these guideways slidethe' elongated end portions q (preferably thickened up) of a plate 1" which'forms the body of-the-rake.

' Arranged to intermeshwith thegrate bars and forth, alltheteeth will act to clear the spaces between the grate bars; by-.forming some of the teeth, as s, to extendabove the surface of the grate they will be adapted to plow through and thus agitate thenaass above "said surface, and by forming the remaining or alternating teeth with their tops approximating the level of said surface the larger pieces of coal or cinders in the mass set in recesses 79 in the will be permitted Ito escape the advancing action of the rake, thus avoiding their interfering with its performing a full stroke and their being crushed and so-reducedtoparticles that would fall through the grate. In

order to effect perfect clearance as. to the spaces between the grate bars for the full length of each such space all the teeth viewed laterally (Fig. 6) are of the same extent, all

1 their front ends and all their rear ends being in lines at right angles to the path of movement of the rake. All the teeth, furthermore, have forward and rearward slopes in and/u which are coincident with two upwardly converging planes, these slopes acting as cam surfaces against the massbeing sifted and so permitting the mass to be agitated without possibility of a jam, as when the rake reaches either end of its stroke and a piece of coal or other hard body stands interposed between any of the teeth and an end wall of the pan or grate i. The teeth t are preferably formed less high than the teeth 8 by forming a recess to at the top of each, so that theyhave two spaced peaks 03 instead of only one, as inthe case of the teeth s. At the, center of the plate is an upstandin lug 3 which may act as a tooth thereon an extends between two of the grate bars, having forward and rearward slopes 2; this lug is provided with an eye 3 for the reception of a handle or other device for sliding the rake back and forth.

In the preferred construction, this handle may form a handle for the pan or grate itself. It is shown as a bar a having a forked rear end which receives the lug y and is connected therewith by a bolt 5 passing'thro-ugh said fork and the eye 3 of the lug. The bar 4 has a longitudinal slot 6 and it rests upon a bearing afi'orded by the top surfaces of the projectionl of the pan and the aforementioned handle it if, as is preferable, the latter is retained; a rivet 7 of the pan, being arranged upon the projection Z, extends through the slot 6, the connection thus afforded between the handlel and the pan or grate being such that whereas the handle is slidable inwardly and outwardly relatively to the pan or grateit is confined thereby against other movement relatively thereto. On moving the handle backward and forward longitudinally thereof the rake will obviously be reciprocated, thus agitating the mass on the grate. At the ends of its stroke the teeth .9 25 will impinge against abutments formed by the end walls of the pan and shift the latter one way or the other, so that there is a shaking as well as a raking of the mass. Upon. opening the door 6 the pan or grate may be removed by gripping the handle 4 by first pulling out the handle to the dotted line position in Fig. 1 the operator can obtain a good lifting hold thereon, and

if necessaryhe can then hold the handle 4, with one hand, gripping both handles with the other, so thatthe pan or grate cannot slip relatively to the handle 4.

In Fig. 7 the construction is shown substantially the same as in the other figures excepting that the rake 8 moves in guides 9 depending from and bolted to the wall 9 and also excepting that the lug, 0 (corresponding in function to lug y) pro ects downwardly from the rake, having an eyeable longitudinally thereof in said structure and also having two sets of teeth arranged I in a series extending substantially atgright angles to and upstanding between the severalbars, the teeth in thetwo sets alternating with each other and thoseyin one set having their tops approximately levelwith, and those in the other having; their tops above, said surface.

2. In combination, a supporting structure having a series of substantially parallel grate-bars forming a substantially horizontal grate surface, and a rake having a body portion arranged below. the b'arsvandfslidable longitudinally thereof-in said structure and also having two sets-of teeth arranged in. a series extending: substantially at right angles to and upstandinggbetween'the; several bars, the teeth in thetwjo sets alternating with each other and thQSQ'lILOIIGSGt having their tops approximately level with, and those in the other having theirtops above, said: surface and all the teeth having forward and rearward slopes in substantial coincidence with two upwardly. converging planes. 7 w

3. In combination, the frame of a: heating apparatus, a grate guided to slide therein in a substantially horizontal back ,and'zforth path, and a rake arranged to move through the material supported by the grateand slidable back and forth relatively to the grate substantially lengthwise of said path, said grate having spaced abutments to be engaged by the rake in its back and. forth movements. 7

4. In combination, the frame of a heating apparatus, a grate guided to slide therein in a substantially horizontal back and forth path and having bars extending substantially parallel with said path and abutments at the ends of theb-ars, and a rake slidable back and forth relatively to the ngrate lengthwise of said'pathand having teeth to agitate thematerial on the grate, saidteeth intermeshing with the bars-and adapted to engage said 'abut-ments alternatelyjon-back and forth movement of the rake.

therein and having a grate-portion and a bearing at a higher elevation than the grate portion, a rake confined to move back and forth in the grate in parallelism With its grate portion, and a handle slidable on said bearing and confined against other movement relatively thereto and attached to the rake.

' 6. In combination, the frame of a heating 10 apparatus, a grate removably supported therein, a rigid handle projecting laterally from the grate, another handle projecting laterally from the grate and slidahle on the first handle inwardly and outwardly of but confined by the grate against other movement relatively to said grate, and a rake connected tothe second handle and slidable EARL R STEPHENS. 

